Hi everyone thought i would share my medical with you all , having been on what use to be IB for the last 6 years had the dreaded letter to go for a medical on dec 5th after returning all my forms etc, My husband came with me ,we took the lift to the 2nd floor went in and sat down it was almost an hour before my name was called , the NOTE TAKER and i call her that because firstly she never introduced herself as a doctor or even a nurse seemed very nice made me feel at ease , in fact even chatted about what programs recently had been on tv , the assessment we thought it went well she could see i was in pain / uncomfy and said she would not be giving me a examination because of this .HOW WRONG WE WERE . Dec 18th the letter dropped though the door ,i it seems from a woman who sat typing for 30 mins and at a guess knows nothing of my illness or me says im fit and well for work .The report is a joke no mention of me having Fibromyalgia or Arthritis at all , my upper body is fine , my lower body is fine , i take as she put just standard medication , i dont call amitriptyline or naproxen to mention a few standard .she scored me 0 points for everything . i told her as i did the same on my forms about my neck/ shoulder pain , head pain hip and groin pain ,pins and needles , no energy and sleep pattern , its now 5.17 am i have been to bed and as yet not been to sleep so as i do most nights got up and sat at my pc and hey i found this site hence my blog ,non of the above were mentioned in the report , no mention of my consultant nor the hospital i attend .I have sent my appeal in and have an amazing doctor who is writing them a report as well , the assessments are a sham and hate to say it but the NOTE TAKERS are liers , i await my appeal for now but will keep you all updated on the outcome .
Assessment for ESA A JOKE: Hi everyone... - Fibromyalgia Acti...
Assessment for ESA A JOKE
Hi, the exact same thing happened to me last January,
I had been on ESA for almost 4 yr and suddenly I was summoned for a medical
My assesor wasn't very nice intact quite obnoxious. However my report came back and I too was scored no points, I put in an appeal which took 8 month and surprise surprise I lost that too. Fortunately I was able to make a fresh claim for ESA in September as at the time of my 1st medical my fibro hadn't been fully diagnosed and now it is. I was on it 3 month at the basic rate and then that dreaded letter dropped thru the letter box. I had another medical but this time the lady was truly lovely and sympathetic. 9 days later I got a letter to say I had been awarded ESA and put in a work group, I have to go for interviews now and then with a key worker. Don't give up fighting for it. You will get there in the end 
I wish u well & the best of luck xxx
Hi Jane59, I had my assessment last year, nov/dec time not heard from them but have been took off incapacity benefit and now on esa, simalar problems but i did get in the post my new p45 and tax code, the young and fit people cannot get jobs but they will give me my own work advisor and health advisor to help me manage my pain, oh well good luck with everything
Hope u win your appeal . I got that dreaded letter and I was meant to go in Dec but cancelled it and have now to go today , 5th Jan . Not looking forward to it at all , I just know I will get 0 points . I was diagnosed with RA in Oct 2011 , I take god nos how many tabs a day plus oral morphine , get very , very little sleep . Some of the time I'm ok apart from no sleep , some of the time I'm in total agony , can't use 1 or both hands , some times I can't use my arm as n elbow locks and I'm left with it bent! my legs almost always feel like a ton weight and my feet under my toes feel like I have pads on! they feel sort of numb but they aren't very odd . I usually always end up falling asleep when I try to watch any tv, yet I just know I will be told I'm fit to work . I will taking my X husband with me and will set my mob to tape what it said as I read they nearly always lie about what has been said or not said. I have to go at 3.45 so prob won't get home til midnight !! I'm so not looking forward to this it's almost like a grilling , so I've read , that were all made out as scrounges and a set of liers. Will come back & let silk know the outcome tho I know it won't be good .
Hi, make sure you write all this out on paper as I have found I miss out something vital. The chatty bits relax you so much you forget even when you have prepared yourself. Good luck and make sure you make the point that 'today is only ok because of the med and you were frightened not to attend. Make it bleak as I know it can be. Make sure they know how you are for your worst days and stay off the 'polite to a stranger' conversation.
Good Luck!
i hope you are successful in your appeal.i had exactly the same happen to me back in 2005.the so called Dr scribbled away for about 10 minutes and when I received THE LETTER it said I was fit for work when clearly I was not.I could not even do anything with my hands!!
He had twisted everything I said I could not do into being able to do.I won my appeal thanks to the guy at the CAB and my doctor. and at my last medical when i was kept waiting for an hour to go in and because he was running so late he wrote a few thjngs down and said you are not capable of working and i wouldnt need to go for any more medicals.back in 1998 I was told that I could not work because of my condition at the time
I've been told by a number of people that they keep you waiting on purpose so they can watch you in the waiting area.
I went through the same thing in May last year - I wrote a letter of complaint when I sent in my appeal - the tribunels papers came through in October - then on the 5th Nov I had a letter stating that they have revised thier decission and put me in the support group - my esa would be reinstated and any back pay - guess what I am still waiting for payment!!! Hope all goes well for you.
I really can empathise with you, these medicals are all something 'one' has come to dread. The stress alone, never mind everything else is enough so send us into a deep 'meltdown' thus exasperating our illness/s..Stick with this and you will get through. I'm relieved to hear you have support from your Doctor. I wish you luck.Take care and keep positive..You'll get there.xxx
What can i say? At my first medical i was put in the work group. That was over a year ago. So when i had to go at the beginning on November for the 2nd medical, i was terrified. I have get myself from A-B. I do not drive and i live alone, so there is just me. I young women introduced herself and said she was a nurse. When it came to the examination she told me to let her lead the way. She asked me to turn my head, left/right, up/down etc but has we all know FMS affects the neck more than anywhere else. That was the only examination she asked me to do. She knew what she was doing. I was still dreading the letter but when it came they had put me in the support group. I have not come across these useless, miserable people that do not know what they are doing thankfully. If someone doesn't introduce themselves ask them who they are because they should say in the first place. As for timing ask for an early morning appointment, Yes its hard to get up but the person behind the desk is less likely to be stressed out and tired by all the miserable moaning people they have had to listen to all day. I was a staff nurse in my former life some patients are determined to give you a hard time no matter how nice you are to them and i am sure that doesn't include anyone on here, so i don't necessarily mean you.
It took me a year to win the ESA battle and 8 months to win the battle with the DLA so son't give up. However today is Saturday and you can't anything about anything today, so take a break from the stress. Good luck xx Bev
migrembe, i understand what your saying and know you mean , i myself had to give up a well paid job in education due to my illness . I say had to give up infact occupational health finished me , just makes me so cross when have papers from them along with consutlants reports, and at the begining i went to bupa and paid to see doctors as if i would waste my money and finish my job all for 99.00 per week if i was fit and well , i am going to carry on my fight as i said i have had IB for last years and suddenly i am seemed better and fit for work it must be a miracle cure that happened to me on one of the odd nights i got some sleep
Can I just mention, my neck is fine. If I had had this examination she would have dismissed me. My area is lower back and hips. My other joints join in at times, but not my neck. So I hope I never am in this situation. Soft hugs and good luck though.
I have pain everywhere just now it seems to be in the joints, tendons and ligaments around the joints, including my back, neck, hands, elbows, hips, knees and ankles but tomorrow it could be somewhere else. yes soft hugs xxx
Hi , I only get pain in my neck every now and then and mostly at the back I can still move it when I do , so they'll fail me then, it's insane , FM is different for everyone . What's wrong with these people. I've just got a questionnaire from ESA , it's a joke. I was a support worker for mentally impaired. Most of those people would be deemed fit for work If they filled in one of those forms. They are clearly not ok for work as they live in supported housing. They're not safe to be alone. But according to those ESA forms they could work. It's so crazy, what looney made the rules
Even difficult people have their troubles. Often it's being/feeling misunderstood and scared.
After an assessment most people are damaged n suspicious. They wonder how to be authentic and believed when being them selves and honest they were judged as liars.
Kinda twists your head when others deny your reality. Many fibros lived with that for years before fibro was accepted. Does a lot of damage.
I have been there too, its so annoying when you are asked to go for a medical to be ignored & then awarded 0 points its heartbreaking I truly feel for you right now.
Let me say its tough going but worth every minute you fight, twice I went through the same, twice my local GP went mad & it was re-instated on ESA then I got DLA after 2 years of fighting to lose my DLA after 6 months because I was sent a form to fill in so filled tyhe form in already on DLA so assumed it was just to update my details & then learnt because I did not put all my issues & the new problems since I got DLA they stopped DLA now having to go through tribunals & I was told about the worksandbenefits .co.uk this has lifted me up because it helps guide you through the process & also gives you good pointers to put in to increase my chances of winning my appeal.#
The whole thing with ATOS is a shambles as they are playing with our illness to reduce the benefits paid out by the very people we put in power the Government its so frustrating, depressing in its self but I swear I will not lay down I am a fighter & its time we stood up to the Government & put a stop to all this money saving shambles, good luck with your case & please all of us need to keep fighting on to help each othere to get what we are entitled to, Whizz
I had exactly the same experieance i had to attend an interview at Neasden last October, the same happened here she didnt give her name or qualification, i call them secretaries, after 6 weeks i too was informed that the 16 points awarded to me in December 2009 were stripped from me and i was given nil points.
The notes stated i could sit for more than 24 mins without moving about ! the whole test took 8 mins , and that i could take my coat off without difficulty, i wasnt asked to remove it !
I also took two letters from the consultant cardioligist at Northwick Park hospital,stating that with my heart condition i musnt work ! there was no mention about them.
Ive sent back a two page A4 sheet appeal and the 2 letters.
Athos is a sham and should be stripped of their role
This is awful, what's happening to the system . There's a total negligence to anyone with a condition . I am also a member of an epilepsy group , it's happening there too. Why is it happening , that's the question that's on my mind. People are getting more ill , as there suffering mentally because they feel bullied , lied to , an most of all total negligence . Real people with real conditions . Proper disabilities . Am outraged and am just sat here with a sick note . Not applied for anything yet. Put it this way I know I can't work . Ad rather work and have me 1300 a month than a measly ESA payment. I know am gonna have trouble getting that never mind DLA. It's insane . People are awarded money because they have no choice . Do these rule makers think weid rather have this low minimal amount to live on than have careers . Sorry am just so shocked . I've never had any experience before on this side , only looked after people who are severely disabled mentally. I am of a caring nature and can become rather protective of needy people . Hence the job I was in which I totally loved. So becoming ill myself , I'm seeing so much negligence and feel strongly objective . Wish I could do something to help ,, and I'm going to need it myself . I'm under a cardiologist too. I've just had a weeks monitor taken off waiting to go back for the results. Am at a sleep clinic for sleep apnea , amongst other problems . My heart goes out to everyone out there , all you people . STAY STRONG, STAY FOCUSED. Don't give up. Can you appeal more than once? , what's the rules on appeal? What is the way forward or is ASOS there to stop a way forward . A dead end so to speak x
reading all these comments highlights how inept the whole system is for us. I went for a work assessment and the doctor didn't ask me anything about my fibro or the fact that I have clinical depression. He asked if I could move my arms , sit and get up without help (which some days I can and some days I can't) whether we had a toilet downstairs in the house and whether I kept in contact with my friends!!!!! None of which deal with the day to day issues of existing, some days I can't get out of bed.
Needless to say I got 0 and lost my ESA. I have worked all my life I am in my 50's and never asked for anything, it seems the system fails us most when we need it.
i totally agree with what you are saying, my husband is 61yrs he suffered a stroke last year, he as worked over 40yrs always paid his taxes and ni, never claimed anything before and now when we need help.....no you can not have it,so whats happened to all the money he as paid in over the years
All i say as everyone else is keep trying!
I not been through it as still not done forms!
Its a job and half looking at them let alone, filling, posting and doing any assessments lol dont think got strength to do any.
I am so wrapped up tho with wrk just no energy at all left.
Xxx try relax for wkend says me hehe xx
I too have never been in this position but the more I read it seems they do home assessments only in a month with a z in it and if you stagger out to them you automatically fail....cos you got there....
Good luck with your appeal
VG x
Hi Jane59
Can you phone the assessment centre, get the "health professionals" name and BMA ?number, then immediately report them and complain to the BMA., this is grossly unprofessional and they should not be allowed to get away with it. It clearly states if you look in the DWP guidelines that the person should introduce their selves and give you their name and position...nurse, doctor etc
yes appeal, also write to Atos and the DWP and complain in the strongest terms about your treatment and the lies written about you. they should not be allowed to get away with treating people so disgracefully and the only way to stop this is for people to complain about the service they received...or not as the case maybe!!
Good luck hope all goes well for you.
Jan xx
i have mentioned in my appeal letter about her not introducing herself , i have been on so many sites and some of the stories people have written about there reports being not true the list goes on and on , from what i have read these people are paid for everyone they take off the system , i dont know how true this is but i have read it times now , i intend to fight and if so i will appeal and appeal and appeal
It's almost getting like a flpin court room, where you need to be suspicious of everyone. In case their going to twist your words, and you need to get names ect,,, my word ,,,,is this bully the disabled people or what. What happened to being PC,, or disabled people's awareness . Everything I know as a support worker what I've learned about victimisation . Well I think you where am going with this. OUTRAGED ,, sorry folks you have a pretty upset Lady ,, wish I could help,, x
Here here Jan, pretty much what I was going to say. Make sure your local MP knows about this too as they cannot do anything if they don't know. How about your local newspaper? I know, you don't want to stirr things up as you need these people, but there must be a way.
Don't just tell us either, talk about it on Facebook or Twitter. If you don't have an account its worth getting one just to do this. Make it viral and then they will sit up and listen. Keep yourself safe on there though. Maybe no photos of you or family if you want it to be public?
Whatever any of you do, good luck!
Hi Sarah-Jane,
there are a couple of good Atos sites...Atos miracles and Atos Healthcare Medicals to review your benefits. nothing to do with the gov'ts Atos, set up independently on FB to help people, i found some invaluable info on there.
It makes me sick that they can lie and lie again with nothing we can do. Although i know some who have complained to the GMC and got the doctors cautioned.
Ah-ha found this...interesting
"ATOS Miracles
Steve Heptinstall Speaking as an ex nurse: it is vital to get the full name and qualifications of the health care assessor. If to be employed in this role depends on them holding an up to date professional qualification then their work falls under the jurisdiction of the relevant professional body.
If they are dishonest in their assessments complaints about that individual should be sent to for example, GPs/ GMC. Nurses / ENB. Etc.
If enough people can make genuine complaints of malpractice against an individual they may face removal from the register, making it impossible for them to be employed in their professional role and possibly even having to face criminal charges too.
These people either because of their political allegiance or simply because it pays their bills, patently do not care about the effects their lies and lack of compassion has on people. Hit THEM, where they are hitting US. Via financial hardship, stress and fear.
If enough people lose the right to practice due to professional misconduct hearings with their governing bodies where will the likes of ATOS and advantis find the staff to run the assessments?"
please spread this about if you can
Thanks Jan xx
Hi Shortnsweet, nice to meet you on here, just read your comment, interesting . So when I have to go to one of these interviews with ASOS, am almost looking forward to it now, seeing how they've fobbed off all theses people , I'd like to see these heartless lot with clipboards. Can I get these people's full names. Will they happily give them to me what's my rights ?
Hi jjojay, nice to meet you also,
Yes you can get their names, in fact as soon as you go in the room and sit down they should introduce themselves. AND if you're mortified by the way they have treated you you can ask for their GMC? number and report them there.
I've been for 3 of these wretched assessments, the first one when i asked the paperwork, bore no resemblance to what i actually told the "doctor", it was a complete work of fiction. I won an appeal 14 months later thanks to the CAB, as i was actually clueless never having suffered at the hands of an assessment
The second one i was awarded sufficient points and put in the WRAG group.
The third one in May I was sent home by taxi as their expense as my blood pressure was toxic and they couldn't get me out the place quick enough, and i have to say the nurse was very good, she said she could tell from my face i was not well at all and would end the assessment and send me home.
I was put into the support group in july.................19 weeks later I got another ESA50 to fill in ...an kept in the support group..for now!!!!
There are some great sites as i mentioned above that have all the info on your rights...invaluable indeed.
Now i'm more "boned up" on the whole sorry shambolic episode that we are repeatedly forced to go through, my heart goes out to those who are literally like lambs to the slaughter and don't know what to do, how to apply for a reconsideration/appeal if they are suddenly told "sorry you got nil points your benefit is stopped"
Hope you never have to go through it i really do, but forewarned id forearmed.
Take care
Jan xx
Thank you I have got some great advise , I've noted it. I'm getting prepared . I feel pretty shocked at how people have been treat wrongly . Hope it goes ok for me , am getting prepared incase it doesn't , take care x
As well as info in here, there are a few great sites on FB that have really useful info in their files.
Atos Healthcare is great, Atos Miracles, as explained to Sarah Jane above lol, , One Banner and UK Incapacity Benefit and ESA claimants Unite, are all great and have other peoples stories and advice that you can learn a lot from.
I'm sure there are many "assessors" that are good...just seems hardly anyone has come across one when you read the stories
Wishing you all the best xx
i too have had a medical and they don,t care what you are feeling and i too was told i was fit for work. and now i have been sent another form to fill in and go for another medical but i have to go to cardiff this time. don,t expect it to be any better than the last time they just wantto get the numbers up to date.it does not matter that the pain you have all over or you never sleep or get depressed. all these people care is aboutremoving people from benefits.. they dont care that you can not afford to eat every day. i am waiting to hear from medical board when i have to attendagain. it helps when you have some one else to understand what life is. good luck with you,r appeal. take care
Hi,
I too had my ESA stopped after a medical, I then went to the CAB and had helped me to appeal. I won the appeal but then they stopped it again, I am also fighting doctors to diagnose me for FM, as I have had constant pain in my shoulders and right arm since March 2012, and the slight touch pain since 2007. I am going to try to apply for DLA and a Blue badge, as my walking is slow and painful, but will see what outcome I get...Good luck with yours today and anyone else due..x
well i have just read all through this blog and I agree its a total sham I took 2 years to get my DLA and then had to reapply as I only got it for 2 years to be turned down again and just got it reinstated. My husband who is in his late 50s has had to give up work because he needs both knees replacement, he has never ever claimed a penny in social security payments and he was put on ESA and then the dreaded medical letter arrived and he went for the medical armed with doctors letter etc and the person who did it asked him if he could wave his hands in the air and that was it and he got no points at all as she could see from him sitting down that he had no problem with his lower limbs or walking and no problem with his arms (well he never said he had problems with his upper body) so he is appealing he can hardly walk some days and apparently he is to young to have them replaced yet they want to wait till he is over 60 and he is on really strong painkillers anti-inflams and everything the whole system is a joke.
She never even read the doctors notes said it wasnt necessary how can they do that it makes me so mad !!!!!!!!! good luck to everyone going through the same thing x
Hi
I know of a man who had a stroke and now is paralized all down his right hand side he was assessed in Hastings Atos centre and was put on job seekers as fit for work basically as he does not have a problem with the left side, the system is very unfair and does not seem like it will change either the government seems ignorant to it if you ask me that's just they way they like it.
The care and compassion factor seems to of left a rather large porportion of the human race if you ask me cruelty abuse power and money are the top of the list factors it seems..... proud to be human folks well No I am not I feel sometimes more ashamed to be human then proud when I look into the world's goings on and the constant adverts of cruelty on tv everyday are increasing.
I sincerely feel sad for this world every day when i go back to the spirit world I dont believe I will ever wish to return here for another life as its so hard through all the power and corruption to make a difference..... the only real difference you can make is to improving your own innerself and make what difference you can in your own surroundings and who you mix with which is great to improve on your own faults and reaslise your own truth but it just a small porportion to what difference it makes in such a world that fills me full of sadness in comparrision to how overall it could be . Kaz
Hi
Do you get any payment whilst your ESA is withdrawn?
Surely they cannot leave you without any payment whatsoever?
Thanks
You should get ESA at the assessment rate whilst your appeal is in progress.
Hi Omega,, ESA is an excuse of a payment ., Anways,,,71 pounds for 13 weeks . As long as your on a programme work related it goes up to 99 . It's a poor excuse pensioners get around 100 a week . People with fibro are like a person of 65 year old . As far as I'm concerned pensioners don't have enough to live on especially in winter. Then if they take it away your left with nothing to live on,,,,
I wonder how the health minister would feel he if got fibromyalgia ? but there again private medical care and massive big pension . Sorry but just needed to put this
My feelings about these people/assessors are as everyone elses on here...but Dont Forget....in your meeting, they will purposely lead you into conversations about TV programmes, this way they can then say you are constantly able to focus/concentrate/enjoy programmes for half an hour/an hour etc. completely dissing your saying you have little concentration etc. they really do know what they are doing. Be suspicious about everything especially if they are nice and chatty! oh dear am I a cynic?!
As far as I am aware they get paid for every person they get off IB - and don't have to refund the money when you win an appeal! So they just say you are fit for work, regardless, on the assumption that they will get paid, and they will get paid again to re-assess for appeals - get it?
I was assessed in 2005 while I was not only undergoing cancer treatment (yes, that's right, cancer treatment), but my actual medical was between a bone scan and an MRI scan for suspected secondaries. The so called doctor (he did tell me he was a doctor) told me that my consultant hadn't been contacted, and that he saw no need to do so, so I thought he was taking my word for it that I was actually having treatment and was not available for work. Especially as I showed him my appointment letters!
He marked me as fit and available for work. When I went to the job centre (this was pre ESA) they said they couldn't put me on Jobseekers Allowance, because I was going for treatment and therefore not available for work.
Remember - to qualify for ESA, or any sort of unemployment benefit, you must be available for work. If you are in receipt of medical treatment and having regular appointments, or hospital stays, which mean you cannot regularly go to work, then you are not available for work and should be on some sort of sickness benefit.
My initial appeal was rejected - somehow they managed to make it wander around their office until it was out of date! Fortunately I had a proof of posting - always get a proof of posting!!!
So I went to Citizens Advice Bureau - they were fantastic. By the time it went to tribunal the file had over 200 pages in it. The tribunal didn't even call me to give evidence - they just went through the paperwork, statements from my consultant, GP, etc., proof of hospital appointments, letter from the Job Centre saying I was inelligible for Jobseekers Allowance because I wasn't available for work, letters from my employer, sick notes, the lot. Then they called me in and said that I would have my IB reinstated and back paid. I had been without any form of income for nearly 6 months by then - how on earth would I have coped if I hadn't had a husband (albeit one on a pension, but at least he could raise an overdraft to keep us!)
So remember:-
1. Keep comprehensive notes - you won't remember everything that is said, and they are more likely to play fair if they know you are taking notes.
2. If you have to fill in an appeal, do it through the Citizens Advice Bureau, if not the first time, then make sure you get them to help you take it to Tribunal. They are used to fighting these battles and know how good your chances of winning are and how many points you should score.
3. Always get proof of postage when you send them forms, they are very good at losing them and saying you failed to meet the deadlines.
4. Never give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have seen elsewhere that some assessors have refused to go ahead with the assessment if notes are taken by your "witness" (I think everyone going for an assessment needs one) or have asked that the notes be destroyed before leaving the room!
It is within your rights to have your assessment recorded by ATOS, the DWP just don't make it widely known (I wonder why?) so make sure you request it when you put in your forms.
It's also within your rights to have a full copy of the assessment sent to you. Part of my appeal consisted of a comparison of the assessment against my notes, with the points awarded to each. And my statement as to whether each point was actually assessed (ie saying I could sit still and unsupported on a dining style chair for half an hour, the duration of the interview, when I actually got up and down several times and spent about 10 minutes of the time lying on a doctors couch. And saying that I had full range of spontaneous movement in joints that he forcibly manipulated and made me squeal!)
You scored 0 points hun from the second you sat and discussed what tv programmes were on tv. It is the first trick they use. They do not ask you if you watch tv, they go for 'what do you like to watch' or as she did with you. It is a confidence trick and they are using it everywhere. They assume from your reply that you can sit and watch tv for hours on end, which then contradicts you saying you cannot sit comfy or you have to keep moving around. It is evil the way they do things. Wait for your medical report and scrutinise it, get a yellow highlighter and go over every single lies she has told and I will bet you millions that you will be using the marker quite a bit. They make you feel at ease and then boom, they startt telling all thier lies. I wish you well for the appeal and if you can get CAB or Welfare Rights on board xxxxx
Did you go through your Assessment report? I went through my husband's and it was appalling how many assumptions (eg watching the News meant he could sit for half an hour etc), the basic factual errors that were made (they got his age wrong by about 5 years, described him as wearing a jacket when he wasn't, etc) and the out and out fabrication of what actually went on during the assessment. I typed a 3 page submission for his appeal detailing the main "errors" which he won - he went from 0 to 24 points.
He was sent a re-assessment ESA50 almost 2 months to the day of his successful appeal. Accompanying his form I sent a letter asking that any Work Capability Assessment be audio recorded by ATOS, I was surprised that they actually agreed (I'd heard that most of the equipment was knackered!) His assessment took about 20 minutes & was completely verbal - the previous one lasted 49 minutes & had a physical assessment.
It is your right to ask for a recording of your assessment yet very few people know that you can - maybe if more were asking the assessor's reports would be more accurate!
If anyone is interested we can send you the Benefits and Work info sheets on ESA and DLA for free. There is lots of useful info on completing forms, advice etc., which might help you with assessments etc.
Please email us on info@fibroaction.org and we will be happy to send them to you.
(((hug))) xxx
Libs
You would think that it would be a doctor who did these assessments it's ridiculous
Some interesting info via another FB site, hope this helps some of you. xx
ATOS Miracles
Steve Heptinstall Speaking as an ex nurse: it is vital to get the full name and qualifications of the health care assessor. If to be employed in this role depends on them holding an up to date professional qualification then their work falls under the jurisdiction of the relevant professional body.
If they are dishonest in their assessments complaints about that individual should be sent to for example, GPs/ GMC. Nurses / ENB. Etc.
If enough people can make genuine complaints of malpractice against an individual they may face removal from the register, making it impossible for them to be employed in their professional role and possibly even having to face criminal charges too.
These people either because of their political allegiance or simply because it pays their bills, patently do not care about the effects their lies and lack of compassion has on people. Hit THEM, where they are hitting US. Via financial hardship, stress and fear.
If enough people lose the right to practice due to professional misconduct hearings with their governing bodies where will the likes of ATOS and advantis find the staff to run the assessments?
I also believe the "customer" has the right t have the truth told about their medical conditions, not the fabricated lies they churn out!
ATOS Miracles
LOOKS LIKE ATOS ARE GETTING THE SKIDS.
Atos Healthcare is happy to provide an audio recording of an assessment where customers make a request in advance of their assessment. We will terminate the assessment if we become aware that an unauthorised recording is taking place.
We believe our staff have the right to work in a safe environment. If any recording is used to intimidate staff or if their personal data is published on-line, this may put their safety at risk. In these circumstances the DWP will be notified and Atos Healthcare reserves the right to take appropriate action.
Please remember, our healthcare professionals are carrying out Work Capability Assessments using standards and criteria that are laid out in government legislation. Where a customer has a concern with the policy or design of the assessment rather than the person carrying it out we ask that this should not be targeted at our staff.
I'm going for my assessment on friday. I went a few days before Xmas but at the start of the interview with the nurse I was informed that he was not qualified enough to deal with my list of ailments and we had only got to my migraines and bells palsy which I'm suffering from currently! So on Friday I get to be assessed by a dr. I'm not nervous as I am a fibro sufferer - if I score 0 then the dr. Is a quack!!! I've got great support from my family who will give me the strength. To appeal but I'm going in positive and have faith in the fact I'm seeing a dr. I'll update next week hugs to all xx
Hi all havent been on for age,s lots going on not just fibro have other problems now .went for m'y assessment in Feb 2012 lost it same as everyone else because I wasn't rocking backwards and forwardscoould open door with hand etc my assessor was a district nurse useless what would she know about fibro.have got my tribunal on 26th Jan 2013 appealed in march 2012just goes to show how many people are appealing. Fingers crossed x
Hi all , my sister as well as me has fibromyalgia, and as she as said if doctors , consultants etc cant help us then how come the assessment workers can ? by god they must be very clever to cure fibro and get us back to work
Yay for no sleep. Lucky you to only be on your first wca others have endured many. You are now down the rabbit hole. Things will never be the same again. Dealing with the DWP is um, an education? Hope you have the patience for it.set your head to enjoying the ride. What ever happens you couldn't make it up. When I recount my DWP dealing it is comedy until folks realise it's true. People get paid to mess with poor vulnerable people. What a noble calling!
They lie directly with intention I had similar experience, did every compliant i could find and said all in no uncertain terms, I got rude about my assessor, and i still maintain he was on an earner what else would make him lie so blatantly.
Try and be mello peace and tranquility MaxV4 xx
ESA Assessment result
ESA Assessment
ESA assessment 
ESA health assessment 
